A night at Haunted Hill
by pikinanouart
Summary: Mirajane sends Levy and Gazille on the same quest 'by mistake' and they end up together in a strange mansion.  But are they really alone?  Rated T to be safe, Final chapter is here plus a bonus!
1. When Alucard meets Hello Kitty

**Author's note: **Hello :3 this is my first multi-chapter fic, I hope it will go well, this first chapter was quite painful, I've got plenty of ideas for the next chapters but this one, argh! hehe, and also, the latest manga chapter was just so awesome!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail, Hellsing or Hello Kitty. I used to own a diswasher but it died last week-end.

* * *

**A night at Haunted Hill**

When asked about Fairy Tail, the residents of Magnolia would qualify the guild as many things: rowdy, lawless or... destructive. It was a good thing that loyal, festive and funny could also be used. However, the word _boring_ wasn't usually making the list.

Nevertheless, it was how Levy McGarden was feeling that day. Standing in front of the request board with her hands on her hips,she was looking at the jobs without her usual enthusiasm. It really couldn't be helped: the day before, as she was about to go on a job with her team, Jet had a _meeting_ that left him in a sorry state. He was racing Droy and her to the guild using his magic to run at full speed. He did have an excellent head start but unfortunately, they caught up with him when he missed a turn and crashed face first in a brick wall. Useless to say, the wall left a bigger impression on him than the other way around.

So, Jet was bed ridden at the infirmary and Droy had convinced her to go do something else while he would keep watch over their friend. There was no need for two people watching a knocked out mummy all day long. Levy felt bad for not staying but she promised to share turns with Droy.

Sighing, the blue haired youth eyed the many posters for a job she could do by herself but the more she searched, the more she felt disheartened. She was eliminating the jobs she would never be able to do without help, too hard or too dangerous, and she was realizing that there was almost nothing left. There had been something that looked easy from an Ichiya-san but Erza had passed by and tore off the paper to make it into paper snow... Levy figured that, whatever the reason, it was better like that.

She was about to go back home and spend the rest of her day trying to find the heart to read when she heard a voice calling her. Raising her head, Levy looked around until the white haired waitress at the bar repeated her name and motioned for her to come take a seat. The book lover complied with a smile and was rewarded with a cup of her favorite tea.

Mirajane crossed her arms on the counter and asked her how she was doing with her motherly smile:

" They say he'll have to stay in bed for a couple of weeks," answered Levy, a bit sadly. " He wakes up from time to time but he can't talk. Droy kicked me out of the room because I was pacing too much."

Mirajane giggled at the thought.

" So, you were looking for a job?"

" I haven't found anything, it's all about hunting monsters or stuffs I can't do except if I'm Erza... or you."

The waitress raised her eyebrows and took out the request log with an enigmatic smile:

" I might have something for you, Levy. I received those new requests this morning and there's one here that might be perfect."

Levy took the poster Mirajane offered her while taking a sip of her beverage. The request was surprisingly simple: check over an old woman's house for a night. The reward was also quite generous: 100 000 Jewels, almost too good to be true. But she figured that the fact that the mansion was in a far away town was also influencing the price. Or the old woman was loaded.

After taking the time to think about it, the petite woman accepted the job. It was an excellent opportunity to get some time for herself, she would be richer the day after and she would be back in time to relieve Droy from watch duty. Perfect job, indeed.

* * *

The train ride had been long and tiring. Five hours had been necessary to get from Magnolia to that little town named Haunted Hill and Levy couldn't feel her butt anymore when she got off the train. Rubbing her cute behind, the language specialist started walking in the little town that didn't really fit its name. With cosy-looking brick houses, clean streets and trees full of red, orange and purple leaves, it looked like a cute, normal and family-friendly town. Even when she stood in front of the mansion where she would spend the night, beside the fact that it was standing on a hill, she didn't understand the reason of such a name. In a similar design than the other houses, it was made of brick with a large front door and large windows. The porch was clean and welcoming and there was trees lined on each side of the little path that led to the house.

Adjusting her shoulder bag, Levy made her way to the front door with cheerful steps. She knocked on the wood and gave her warmest smile to the person who welcomed her.

" Good evening. I'm Levy, from Fairy Tail, and I came for the job."

An old woman, barely tall enough to reach the blue haired youth's chest, was standing in front of her, wearing huge glasses so thick that she looked like an owl. She was shaking slightly, leaning on a cane that matched with the rest of her clothes. She gave her a grand-motherly smile:

" Ah, such a sweetie. You came for the request, yes?"

" Yes."

" Such a relief, you came just in time." said the old woman while turning back inside. She was walking with extremely small steps and her arm was shaking every time she lifted her cane. Levy followed the elder walking at a turtle pace, pretending to not be bothered by the fact they would seemingly not reach the living room before nightfall. The old woman was talking with the same slow pace, obvious to anything else:

" It is so nice to have young people come help an old woman like me, they say youngsters are all bandits, nowadays, but I tell you, Sweetie, it is not true at all. Young people, nowadays, are so generous, I requested for this job yesterday and already, they send me not one but two wonderful children to my help, is it not marvelous, Sweetie?"

The blue haired beauty was smiling at the compliments then her brain suddenly understood the last statement. Two children?

" Um, Madam," she asked politely, " what do you mean by two people? There is only one, here: me."

It had taken them almost five minutes just to exit the hall and they were almost at the next room. The elder didn't seem confused or offended by Levy's comment:

" There is another that came to my help, right before you, he is just the sweetest. Such a gentleman, I tell you, Sweetie, never I have seen such a polite boy. He reminds me of my darling when he was still living, he was so handsome, too..."

They finally reached the living room that looked like a typical old woman paradise, with kitten plushies, pink pillows, frills and knitted objects everywhere. It even smelled like peppermint. Far from looking like something Levy would choose to live in, she admitted that she wasn't really surprised, everything was matching, including the client's wardrobe. She gave a look around, more frills and more pink, then, she spotted _him_.

Standing out of the scenery like gothic clothing in Mirajane's closet, Gazille Redfox was waiting in the ocean of pink furniture, arm crossed over his muscular chest, dressed in his usual black coat and white pants. His permanent scowl on his face welcomed Levy in the room, his red eyes meeting her brown ones. To say he looked out of his element would be the understatement of the century, it was like Alucard meeting Hello Kitty.

He was looking slightly surprised to see her there:

" What are you doing here?"

" I'm here to watch over the house, tonight." she said matter-of-factly. " How about you?"

" Pretty much the same thing."

Levy bit her lower lip, analyzing the situation: they had been sent for the same job, obviously. She figured that the waitress was as prone to mistakes as anyone else.

" It's the first time this happens to me, what should we do, now?"

" Aww, aren't the two of you adorable?"

They both turned around to face the old woman who was looking at them, from quite a lower point of view, with her never-ending smile.

" You make such a cute couple. Are you married?"

Levy jumped in surprise at the question, her face started heating up. She didn't even dare look beside her at Gazille who made some throaty sound while crossing his arms. The language specialist waved her hands in denial, trying to find back her voice after such a shock:

" N-No! We are not... It's-it's not like that."

The elder grinned:

" How sad, you look perfect for each other."

Her cheeks were past the boiling point now. She quickly changed the subject to prevent another series of awkward comments.

" How about I help you with your luggage?"

* * *

The client was finally ready to leave and after a never-ending journey through the mansion hall, she was making her way to a waiting carriage at the other end of the little path. Levy and Gazille were standing in front of the door, sweat dropping, as they were literally taking roots there while the iron dragonslayer was fighting the urge to just go grab the old woman and carry her. The carriage driver was as bored as them, he was resting his chin in his hand and he kept yawning over and over.

Almost fifteen minutes later, the Fairy Tail mages allowed themselves back in the mansion with a relieved sigh. The piercing faced man was the one to speak when she closed the front door:

" Gotta do something about the job. Who's staying?"

The blue haired woman shook her head:

" There's no train going back at Magnolia, tonight."

" So what?" Gazille shrugged. "I'll walk back."

" That would take you a month!" she exclaimed. "There _is_ a better solution."

He watched her curiously so she explained:

" Let's do this together."

His eyebrow raised:

" Together as... a team?"

He wasn't looking so enthusiast at the idea, Levy felt nervous even if she didn't know exactly why:

" Is it... a bad idea?"

He looked somewhere else, muttering something, eyed her again then groaned. He turned around and made a gesture with his right hand over his shoulder:

" Whatever. Let's just get this done."

Levy smiled at his retreating back, even if she haven't known him for long, she knew that this was an equivalent to an invitation to stay. Breathing in relief, she followed him happily, glad to have someone to keep her company, even if it was Gazille. It wouldn't be so bad, right? They could get to know each other a little bit better.

Anyway, it was best she stayed with him even if just to make sure the client would still have her knife set, tomorrow.

* * *

**End note: **I'll go work on chap 2 now, don't hesitate to review, I don't bite. :3

*oh and **Coldman9**, if you want me to answer you back, please activate your PM feature.*


	2. When you like, you tease

**Author's note: **chap 2 is here! watch out for the fluff ^.^ there is also some minor references to some of my previous stories, just so you know. enjoy! (By the way, I do not own Fairy Tail but Fairy Tail owns me)

* * *

Of course, it had to be her.

Of all the people in Fairy Tail, no matter how unlikely the chances to have two teams, of the same guild, sent at the same job, it just _had_ to be the bookworm walking in the living room.

Barmaid had supposedly sent her on the same job than him, by _mistake_...

Yeah, right.

He was starting to doubt the innocence of that waitress, her and her happy-creepy smile. He still remembered that time she had made him deliver soup or that other time he woke up in the infirmary, with the worst headache he had ever got, and she kept grinning at him, for no particular reasons, for weeks afterward. Maybe it would be wise that he started watching his back.

Not that he was really bothered by the blue haired woman's presence but there was something unnerving about how his heartbeat would speed up when she was there. How her scent would get caught in his nose or how he would always spot her when he entered the guild hall. It was completely stupid, he didn't give a damn about anyone but Lily, he had no reason to be happy that she was there, right? How come she was there, anyway?

" What happened to your fanclub?"

They were back in the pink nightmare also known as the living room. Levy looked at him, a little bit confused, at first, but she quickly understood who he was talking about because she made a sour face:

" They are at the infirmary, if you want to know, and they are not my fanclub, they are my friends."

He snorted, amused by the sight of the solid script mage standing in front of him, with hands on her hips and a little pout. It was nice to see her like that, much more pleasant than how she was when he first joined the guild. Of course, he had been the one to blame for that but he had tried to make it up to her, since then.

" How about you?" she asked in a teasing tone. " Where is Pantherlily?"

He scowled:

" He's training Salamander's cat, he wants to teach him some basics about combat."

" Oh. That's nice of him."

The little woman started walking around the room, looking at everything on the walls. Beside pictures of kitten, frills and ribbons, there was nothing quite outstanding. The old lady didn't own a radio or a screen lacryma and there was no books at all. What did she do, all day long, in this mansion, by herself?

The dragonslayer decided to visit the kitchen. Again, pink was the primary color of everything, even the table. He walked straight to the fridge and he was quite surprised to see its content. It was filled with enough food to feed an army, from roasted chicken to sugar-coated pastries. It was a good thing, he was starving.

When Levy entered the kitchen, she was stunned by the amount of food that was covering the table. Among the provisions, Gazille was sitting on a bench and enjoying his meal while the blue haired woman was giving him a questioning look.

" It was all in the fridge," he answered at her silent question. " Might as well eat it, or else, it's gonna spoil."

She supposed he was right, there was a lot of food just for a single old lady. Eyeing the shelves over the oven, the young woman figured that cooking was the owner's hobby as there were about ten books about it. She took a seat at the other end of the table then picked some food for herself.

* * *

Everything was tasty and they ate in a comfortable silence. The black haired man was eating quite cleanly, Levy noticed with a smile. He was looking a little bit more friendly, too, with his relaxed face. She realized that she might have been starring at him so she quickly finished her plate (pink, for a change) and washed it in the sink. After placing it in a draining rack, she faced her team mate:

" I'll go have a look around. I want to see the rest of the house."

He hummed in approval as she passed by him to reach a door that led somewhere else. Right before disappearing behind it, she turned toward him:

" May I trust you to not eat the cutlery while I'm gone?"

He made a 'Tsk' and watched her with a side glance:

" Come on, I'm not stupid."

She left with a giggle.

* * *

There wasn't any doubt in Levy's mind, as she crossed several rooms and halls while exploring, about the client's favorite color. The tapestry was pinkish with a floral design, the carpet, the mirrors, the curtains and even the chandeliers were pink. There were also a lot of cat statues, ribbons and frills, the same kind as in the living room. So far, she had seen a bathroom, a music room and a greenhouse.

She opened another door and she found herself in the master bedroom. There was a huge four-poster bed, a comfortable chair, a six-foot tall mirror and, in a adjacent room, she saw a private bathroom. Compared to this, her own room and bathroom looked like a closet.

As she was looking at the bed, Levy was suddenly faced with a problem she hadn't anticipated...

Where would they be sleeping?

With wide eyes, she was coming to the realization that she was _alone_ in a house with Gazille and they would spend the night _together_.

As in _just the two of them. _

And so far, Levy had not seen any other bedrooms...

The blue haired woman gasped at the image the situation was implying. She had never been alone with a man, before, and it was just her luck that her first time would be with Gazille.

Ever since that day when he had spoken to her in that foreign language and had literally flirted with her, she had been seeing him in a whole different light. She had started noticing his physical appearance, his manners, his facial expressions, no matter how subtle they were, and even the exact number of studs on his body. Her heartbeat would go faster every time he would be close, she would blush if she happened to see him without his shirt on and that was nothing compared to the dreams she started to have since she received that metal rose. She had tried to reason herself since he hadn't been in his normal state, that day, but that didn't help the fact that she was unable to see him the way she used to.

All this thinking was making her cheeks burn in embarrassment, maybe it would be best if she left him the job and went to the inn...

" Whatcha doin'?"

Levy let out a high-pitched scream worthy of an horror blockbuster and fell down on her hands an knees, clutching her no-longer beating heart. She had never heard him coming!

He was looming over her with his trademark smirk:

" Nervous?"

She squeaked:

" I think I just lost ten years of my life!"

The good thing about an heart attack was that it had drained the blood out of her face in a second. She still felt dizzy and she was trying to not shiver as he chuckled at her misfortune, clearly amused, but at least, she could face him without having to explain her state.

* * *

It hadn't been his intention to scare her. He just happened to follow her by scent and when he had found her, she was standing silently in a room and fixing something invisible in front of her. He felt a twinge of culpability when she dropped on the ground but since she seemed fine, he allowed himself to laugh at the situation. She looked quite funny, on her hands an knees and, even if he would never admit it, a bit sexy, too. Those jeans were really complimenting her butt.

She stood up after recovering from the shock, dusting her knees and sweater before facing him again. He raised an eyebrow, too curious to not ask her about it:

" What were you thinking about?"

She nervously adjusted her bandanna:

" Um, I was wondering about the sleeping arrangement."

Gazille looked at the master bedroom:

" Dunno for you, but I don't wanna sleep in an old woman's bed."

Levy agreed, it felt rude to take your client's bed while she was away. Anyway, there was something... not gross, but... unappealing about the idea.

" I still have the second floor to check."

They followed the hall until they found the stairs. The strangest thing about it was that there was some kind of line between the bottom of the stairs and the second floor. The pink paint was drawing a line on the wall from the carpet, across the ceiling and down on the opposite wall to the carpet again, like a giant square. Even the carpet was cut at that line, it was like a border. It looked like the old woman was only decorating in the quarters where she lived.

They shared a questioning look before climbing the stairs where they ended up in another hall with gray walls and a bland carpet. While downstairs, it smelled like peppermint and flowers, upstairs, it was smelling more like an old house, dusty and humid.

The duo opened a couple of doors that led mostly to junk rooms, they also found a library but the books had all been ruined by mold and humidity. Levy spent the next moment grumbling about outrageous acts against literature.

* * *

They finally found what they were looking for: two bedrooms that were connected by a bathroom that didn't look like falling apart. The rooms were far from being fancy like the master bedroom but the beds were almost in excellent shapes and the mages would not complain about a rebellious spring or two.

The bathroom had been plunged in darkness, to the blue haired woman's displeasure, however, the dragonslayer had used his _gentle touch_ on the magical fuse box and they were granted with a pale flashing light.

The black haired man, in turn, was granted by cheers:

" Yay, you're the greatest, Gazille!"

He dropped his gaze down, meeting her cheerful face, and immediately regretted it. She was looking amazingly attractive with her shining brown eyes, round cheekbones and rosy lips. Even her freaking ears looked cute!

Clearing his throat, he crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at a random wall:

" Whatever."

She was walking in the bathroom, checking over every little things:

" I never would have been able to do something like that," she continued while testing the bath faucets, " I would have been stuck using a towel and the kitchen sink."

He raised an eyebrow:

" Are you afraid of the dark?"

Levy froze for half a second before standing straight up and rubbing the back of her neck, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment:

" N-No. Not scared." She was avoiding his piercing gaze. " Um, it's more like... um... an inconvenience. Yeah."

Gazille gave her a blank look, she was a terrible liar.

As she was turning back to her exploration of the bathroom's cupboards, he reached the doorway and, right before making his exit, turned around to give the petite woman one of his famous grins:

" Anyway, it's not of the dark you should be afraid of, tonight. There are worst things in here."

When he closed the bathroom's door, he chuckled at the muffled sound of a blown raspberry.

* * *

**End notes:** aawww :3 now the real fun will start!


	3. Can't stop the nosebleed!

**Author's note: **I finally got it! It ain't easy writting a story when your work, kid and boyfriend just decide to keep you away from your precious fandom... lol ^.- anyway, i hope this chapter will satisfy you

random comment about the latest manga chapter: Gazille is soooo the fairy tail version of chuck norris. :3 (and no, i still don't own FT)

* * *

Levy wasn't a very religious person but, at this very moment, she was thankful, to whatever greater being there was, for the warm water coming out of the shower head. It was a benediction in itself that the bath, in which she was standing, was in such a good condition. The curtain surrounding the bath was a tiny bit not large enough to her liking but after watching the bathroom door from the corner of the eye for almost five minutes, she supposed there was nothing to worry about... Which was quite a deception.

Rubbing the shampoo in her blue hair, the solid script mage was torn between feelings and reason. To say she was preoccupied by the man on the other side of the wall was an understatement: her heart kept racing and slowing down ever since they teamed up. She had never imagined, even in her secret fantasies, that she would spend a whole night alone with Gazille and now that it was happening, she was sad because she knew _nothing_ would happen.

Normally, she should be _glad _that nothing would happen, right?

She scowled, frustrated by her own mind. This was not the way a girl should think, right? Not a girl like Levy, at least. She was supposed to wait for her charming prince, someone who would sweep her off her feet with elaborated words and tender loving gazes. But instead, she was loosing it all for a rude, primal-minded, fighting-obsessed ruffian who just had to grunt at her to send her sprawling on the floor with shaking knees and a pounding heart.

A man that had so much effect on her without being remotely interested by her! Since he joined the guild, he had barely ever talked to her and even less looked her way. Even now, he was answering with mono-syllables, avoiding her eyes and muttering some _Whatever_ when she tried to have a conversation with him. He was annoyed by her presence, that much was obvious.

Levy rinsed her hair while coming to the conclusion that her feelings were, and would always be, an one-sided crush. She would be naive to believe in signs that weren't there. Just because he had protected her from Laxus, brought her some soup and wooed her outrageously while being under the influence of a potion, didn't mean that he felt something for her.

She sighed, she was longing for a man that didn't give a damn. Being in love sucked.

She was still deep in her depressing thoughts when she heard a strange noise. It had sounded like someone pounding on a metallic surface. She froze in the middle of washing her back, her brown eyes wide and her ears attentive to her surrounding. She waited for a few moments but she could only hear the running water and her own breathing. She timidly peeked outside by the space not covered by the curtain:

" Gazille? Is that you?"

Her call echoed in the room and she saw nothing beside her pile of dirty clothes on the floor. This mansion was old, she speculated, and creaks were normal. Maybe something had fell on the roof and made the noise.

Levy continued her cleaning ritual while trying to hear the noise again, thinking that she might have imagined it. It was getting late and she was tired.

It barely took a couple of seconds before she heard it again. And this time, a nasal and mocking laugh came along. Jumping at the sound, the blue haired woman turned around, ready to throw her soap at whoever might be there. Hidden by the curtain, a series of fast-moving tiny shadows were moving around the bath, snickering and squeaking. Levy's breath caught in her throat when she realized she was surrounded and she didn't have her magical pen. Another snicker came, but this time, from over her head.

She lifted her gaze toward the pole that held the curtain and her eyes met with a pair of round yellowish globes that were fixing her with madness.

* * *

People in Magnolia probably heard her because she let out the loudest shriek she had ever made. She stumbled backward in panic and instinctively grabbed the curtain for balance. However, the gesture didn't have the desired effect and she fell down on her butt, at the bottom of the bath, bringing down the curtain and the pole in her fall.

Among the chorus of mean laughter from the intruders, Levy hardly heard the running steps in the hall before the bathroom door flung open and literally crashed against the wall. A blur of black rushed inside and the woman managed to cover her chest with her arms just in time before the deep voice of the iron dragonslayer barked:

" What happened?"

She was fixing him with wide eyes, frozen in place, while she extirpated some words from her mouth:

" There was something... over there... "

She made a weak head gesture toward the room. Gazille looked around but there was no one else than them. But the way his eyes were throwing daggers told her he seemingly believed her. Shortly after, he looked at her again and asked in a slightly softer voice:

" You alright?"

She needed a whole second to think about it but she managed to offer in a high-pitched voice:

" ...yeah?"

He mumbled in dismissal before exiting the bathroom as quick as he came in. She heard his heavy footsteps down the hall and shivered when reality hit her and she felt the cold air on her skin.

It was about then that her stunned state disappeared to be replaced by an annoyed scowl.

He didn't even react to seeing her naked!

* * *

Gazille was crossing the hall at a tremendous speed. When he felt he had enough distance between him and her, he turned a corner and slammed his back against the wall. He was panting heavily and his face was almost white, thanks to the waterfall of blood pouring from his nose.

Using the bottom of his coat to soak the fluid, the iron dragonslayer was deeply cursing Murphy and his goddamn law. When he used to think he was unlucky to have to spend a whole night with the cute bookworm, it had gotten far worse: what he just saw was going to keep him awake for a couple of nights. How was he supposed to sleep now when his freaking instincts were screaming at him to just go back in there and _conquer the territory_?

Gazille groaned in defeat as he came to the conclusion that having a crush was troublesome.

_That could have been worse, _a mocking voice echoed in his head_, you could have had to share a room with her._

Cursing loudly, the man wiped his nose the best he could as the flow doubled with this thought.

It took him a couple of minutes to find back his composure and after almost fainting of blood loss, he managed to stand up straight again. Sex urges would have to wait, he had another problem in his hands.

Before breaking into the bathroom, he had been lying in his uncomfortable bed and trying to fall asleep. He had already knew that it was an hopeless quest since he had been clearly hearing the sound of the shower from the next room which had encouraged the stupid voice in his skull to suggest stuffs he just refused to acknowledge. Sometime, his brain could be such an ass...

Anyway, the point was, when he had entered the bathroom, there had been more than just Levy's scent floating in the air. There had been a foul-smelling odor that immediately caught in his nostrils, something that smelled like burned toast. When she had said there had been things in the room, it had just confirmed his doubts.

Now, the question was: what were those things?

* * *

His nose freed of haemoglobin detected the same scent in the hall, it was so strong that Gazille was wondering how he didn't smelled it before. He started walking again, sniffing the air to try to find the source of the stench but even after walking the whole way and coming back near his room, there was seemingly no hints. He decided to go check the previous rooms they had seen, it was his best chance at finding something.

He entered the library where the stench was stronger. He found the light switch but it wasn't working, a detail he didn't give a damn about since he could see well enough without. He gave a look around, sniffing the air again however, there wasn't anything particular. That was frustrating, he knew he wasn't imagining things and Levy wouldn't lie about something like that.

Walking in a slow pace, he was looking at every corner of the room, the sound of his boots on the wooden floor echoing on the walls. After a moment, he accepted the fact that there was nothing in there so he turned around and started walking toward the door. He was almost out when he heard it: snicker.

Spinning at 180 degree, the iron dragonslayer faced the darkness with an angry glare. In the shadows, a tiny pair of glowing eyes flashed and moved. Footsteps resounded, followed by a mocking laugh, then another.

Gazille growled, stomping his way back inside the library. More eyes appeared and a chorus of snigger welcomed him. Raising his arm in half a second, he transformed it in an iron club and sent it at his unseen enemies. A loud crashing sound echoed in the dark room followed by more laughter, he had destroyed a couple of shelves and probably some books too but the _things_ had moved away too fast.

The iron dragonslayer grinned at the genius idea that popped in his head. Taking a huge breath, he took a wide stance and released his powerful iron dragon roar. The shelves all crumbled in a sickening sound, the wooden floor splintered upward and the furthest wall was literally blasted off by the impact. A rain of flying papers was showering the ruins of the library, illuminated by the moonlight.

* * *

Gazille stood proudly among the wreckage, laughing at the results of his attack. The eyes were gone and he couldn't hear the snicker anymore. The burned toast smell was stronger than before, tho, it was so over-whelming that it was sickening.

Then, a faint complain got his attention. Looking at his feet, he noticed a ball of fur big as a rat crawling on the floor, with chubby arms and legs, followed by a trail of gray powder. Since Gazille wasn't recognized for his empathic nature, it was with obvious joy that he slammed his foot right on the thing without a second thought, making it pop like a balloon in a comical puff of smoke and dust.

Crushing the dust under his boot, the black haired man frowned as he wondered what kind of creatures would explode in a puff of smoke when killed. He had never seen any of those things before.

He figured that maybe the bookworm would know about it.

Turning back toward his room, he was also hoping that Murphy wasn't going to rear his ugly head again, that night.

* * *

**End notes:** halfway there! but i'm a bit torn between two ideas for the ending: something that makes this fic standing in the real universe or something more AU and more fluffy? :3


	4. Levy is in danger!

**Author's notes: **hi again! the finale is coming! this chapter is short but it's just because when mixed with the other one, it was becoming quite long so i had to cut somewhere and that was the only logical place to do so :3

Still don't own Fairy Tail. I asked Santa if I could have it for Christmas.

* * *

A huge crashing sound resounded in the whole mansion, making the walls shake under the impact and a certain blue-haired woman jump in fright. With a yelp, Levy nervously hugged around her petite form the pink blanket she had found in a box as she was trying to make herself comfortable on the poor excuse of a bed she was sitting on. The light was blazing in the plain little room, thanks to not only the lamps available but also to the floatings words that spelled _Light_ all around her. The script mage kept looking everywhere, wary of a new visit from the things that she had seen in her shower.

She squeaked at some unknown sounds she heard from who knew where. Where was that dragonslayer when she needed him? Right now, the only think she wanted was to be by his side and, if it wasn't for that little something called common sense, she would be hanging on him like a koala and never letting go. She felt her skin heat up at this particular thought, after what had happened in the bathroom, she wasn't sure she would be able to face him without looking like a blue-haired tomato. She might not be the most confident person but she didn't want to look weak in front of him, she still had some pride.

However, when she heard something sounding like footsteps from the ceiling, a shiver ran through her spine and Levy decided that her pride wasn't worth dying in fright for. She was going to see Gazille and ask him if she could share his room, even if he would laugh at her.

Grabbing one of her _Light_ words, she quickly crossed the room and opened the door, making sure to not drop her blanket. Looking left and right, she walked with quick steps toward the room after the bathroom, her magical pen held in front of her like a wand. A tiny voice in her head told her that this was like that story about wizards and deatheaters. She snorted at this thought, her brain didn't always have the sense for timing.

As she stopped in front of his door, she saw that he wasn't there: the door was wide open and there was no light inside. She turned on the light switch, just to make sure, but that only confirmed her first impression: he was still out, looking for the creatures.

Levy sighed in both deception and relief, humiliation would wait for a little while. She struggled for a few moments between her two options, to stay here and wait for him or to go find him, and finally opted for the second, she was nervous enough like this on her own.

Walking with cautious steps, the blue-haired woman adventured herself in the hall. Her enlightened word was shinning on every shadows she passed by, her heartbeat was thundering in her ears. She called Gazille's name a few time with a soft voice, since she didn't want to be heard by the wrong person, but she received no response.

Minutes later, she neared some of the rooms they had seen when they first came upstairs. She was passing by the library when she heard skittering sounds behind her. Without a second of hesitation, she spun around and wrote a wind spell with a record-breaking speed, she could thank the tremendous amount of adrenaline in her system for that feat. The spell bounced on the carpet with a _woosh _but hit nothing, she was facing an empty hall.

Hugging the blanket around her like a cape, Levy slowly turned back, her pen ready for another spell. The _Light _word was flying a little bit in front of her like a lantern as she moved with slow steps while straining her ears to pick unusual sounds.

She had walked about ten feet when she heard snicker behind her. Turning as fast as she previously did, she threw a _Fire_ at whatever was there. The spell hit something as she heard a couple of tiny voices complaining in pain before some popping sound echoed and a strong burned smell invaded her nostrils. A cloud of smoke hovered over whatever was there and she had to wait a few seconds before she actually saw what she had just hit.

Hundreds of round yellow eyes were starring at her from what seemed like a giant hairy mass covering the walls, ceiling and floor, disturbingly looking like a huge wriggling spider. Under those eyes, as many creepy smiles were grinning at her, with sharp teeth and clacking tongues.

Levy gasped at the sight, the pack of furry creatures laughed at her with their high-pitched mocking squeals. Turning around again, the woman started running for her life as she heard the pack start moving after her, leaving her source of light behind. Among the chorus of snicker, she heard more popping sounds. She looked over her shoulder and she saw more clouds of smoke pop but this time, instead of gray dust, more little monsters appeared to join the chase.

That was then that her foot caught in the carpet and she bended to the law of gravity. All too fast, Levy plunged to the ground in a painful fall, her blanket falling over her in a darkly comical manner while the invasion of monsters was closing on her, ready to feast on her body. It was too late to counter-attack, she curled up into a ball on instinct, screaming for help that she knew she wouldn't receive.

She was waiting for the pain.

She was waiting for her death.

Was dying supposed to take this long?

* * *

**End notes: **zomg, cliffhanger! next chapter coming very soon, im almost done with it ^^


	5. Pink IS a terrible color, isn't it?

**Author's notes:** at last! it is here! yay me! ^.^ i have been asked to do some omake so ill post another bonus chapter after this :3 after all this time on this fic, i still didn't get ownership on FairyTail and the creatures identities is revealed in this chapter, and except if anyone out there can bring me a living one and prove me wrong, i'll stick with my version :P Enjoy!

* * *

Gazille was sprinting through the hall for the second time, that night. He had been almost at Levy's room when he had heard her scream. Since he found their rooms empty, he was now running back to where he had been, calling her name between juicy curses. The burned toast stench was stronger and stronger in the air and, because of that, he was unable to detect the blue-haired woman's scent.

Rage and panic were fighting for dominance in his mind, he was sure that he had killed every single one of these little shits, back there. Was it possible that there had been more of them?

He was mad at himself for leaving her alone after what had happened, now that he was fearing for the worst, he couldn't help imagining the most terrible things that could be happening to her.

The dragonslayer turned a corner at full speed and his scowl melted in surprise as he faced the freakiest thing he had ever saw: in front of him, a never-ending pack of furballs were moving on every surface available, all squeaking and groaning in their tiny voices. There were so many of them that he would never be able to count them all. He was also running way too fast when he saw them and he helplessly plunged into the mass, unable to stop himself in time.

It only took half a second before Gazille felt the creatures start climbing on him and biting into his flesh. They were already covering his whole body, gnawing at every inch of skin they could find. Turning his skin into iron scales, Gazille started trashing into the sea of vermin, slicing every moving things he could with his iron sword arm and making them pop into smoke by dozen but this method quickly proved to not be fast enough to his liking. He took a huge breath, ready to shred his enemies in pieces like he had done before, however, he was surprisingly grabbed by the collar and pulled backward while a feminine voice he knew too well yelled at him:

" No, Gazille! Don't attack them!"

The statement didn't even have time to be registered by his brain before he fell flat on his butt. He hardly had time to recognize the cute bookworm's silhouette either before she threw herself at him and he was covered by... a blanket?

* * *

He was too stricken by what just happened to realize that Levy was alive and seemingly well, and also, almost sitting on his lap. Cursing, he tried to free himself from the offensive pink cloth but she quickly held his arms down:

" Don't take it out! It's shielding us!"

Her touch and the absurdity of this statement made him calm down instantaneously. The blanket wasn't thick enough to prevent light from coming in and Gazille was clearly able to see the young woman looking at him with a relieved smile on her face. He sat still while watching her with an unbelieving look, confused by so many things at the same time, he wasn't sure which one he wanted to be explained first. Levy scouted closer to him:

" I am so glad that you are alright," she said while she adjusted the blanket over their head with meticulous movements.

He was pretty sure that _he_ should be the one to tell her that but since he wasn't good with affectionate statements, he choose a more direct approach:

" What the fuck is going on?"

" Gremlins."

" Huh?"

" Those things are gremlins," she repeated with a victorious smile. " I have read about them, once. They are magical monsters that have the particularity to be almost undestructible because, if they are sliced, smashed or burned or whatever, they turn into dust then pop back in double. So, that's why we must _ab-so-lu-te-ly _not destroy them."

He raised an eyebrow at her:

" Oh."

" Have you tried to destroy them before now?"

The event of the library came to his mind but he quickly changed the subject with a negative shake of his head:

" What's the point with that blanket in all this?"

She grinned:

" It's their weakness. As long as we stay under it, we will be safe."

He frowned, now he was really at the top of the confusion chart.

" They are weak to blankets?"

She shook her head:

" No, they are weak to _pink_."

It took him a few seconds to process that information: gremlins were weak... against a color?

" What the hell?" he yelled after finding back his voice. "That makes no sense at all!"

She laughed at his outburst:

" I know. But, think about it, it all makes sense: that's why the first floor is pink and the old lady's clothes... and this blanket. It's protecting us against a huge amount of flesh-eating gremlins, how is that not because of the color?"

He was having such a hard time believing what he was hearing but he couldn't deny the fact that they were safe and sound. He slowly lifted the blanket by a corner and watched the pack of furballs by the hole. They were watching them with pitiful looks, keeping a good distance from the pink blanket. Some of them had apparently tried to get closer, they were flat on their back with spread limbs and foaming mouths. They almost looked cute. Almost.

Gazille let the cloth fall back and sighed at the craziness of the situation. His eyes met with hers and that was about then that he started to realize how close they were sitting to each other. Screw you, Murphy.

Clearing his throat, he tried to not be interested by their position:

" So? What do we do if we can't kill them?"

She shifted her eyes in a sheepish manner:

" Well... It would be safer to go back downstairs. I think if we just go on all fours, side-by-side, we could manage to cross through without- wait!"

The black-haired man stood up to his full height in such a quick movement that Levy started complaining when he had already wrapped her in the blanket like a sausage and held her against his body, her face on his neck.

" Gazille! What are you doing?"

He shifted his skin to iron and started running through the pack of gremlins that were gaining a second chance at their meal. He tried to not kill any of them but he felt more than a couple of them squishing under his boots. When the blue-haired beauty looked like she wanted to argue, he told her to not worry about him, he would get them to safety.

Levy couldn't argue with that, he seemed to be indeed gremlin-proof as he dashed toward their previous rooms, picking up their respective bags, and back to the stairs that would lead them to freedom. The creatures were charging behind the duo, squeaking and snarling, but Gazille was pushing them back like if it was nothing and the young woman couldn't help thinking that he really was amazing.

They reached the stairs in no time, five minutes top, and Gazille gracefully jumped over them all to land safely at the bottom, making Levy yelp in panic and hang on his neck with her arms. They faced the swarm of furballs that descended the stairs in a rush while laughing wickedly. The dragonslayer took a step back when the first ones were at the bottom, looking undisturbed by the pinkish surrounding. Maybe it had been the blanket, after all.

Fortunately for the mages, the gremlins were just stupids. They hardly made it over three feet when the effect of the color sapped them of their energy like when Salamander ate ice magic. They all started to squeak in agony, waving their chubby arms and legs in a theatrical manner and fainting on the ground with foamy mouths. When realizing what awaited them, the rest of the creatures tried to turn back upstairs, climbing over each other in panic in an attempt to escape their doom.

Breathing heavily, Gazille and Levy were starring at the strangely humorous scene without noticing how they were still holding each other. The man was the first one to wake up from the shock, he changed his skin back to normal and gently let her down on her feet.

After a minute, they grew tired of watching the furry creatures faint over and over so they made their way to the living room with dragging feet.

When they arrived, they noticed the clearing sky by the windows, sign of the arrival of morning in less than two hours. The pink couch, that used to look so hideous the day before, was looking so warm and welcoming that the duo gladly let themselves drop on it with a relieved sigh. It had been a long night and all that they had experienced was rushing back to them, eating their energy in seconds. Gazille, without thinking or caring, pulled Levy in a loose hug and they fell asleep in each other's arms, like if it was the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

When Levy woke up, she was lying on the couch by herself, covered by the blanket. She had been so exhausted that she didn't remember dreaming of anything. The only thing was that she was feeling really really good, even if a little groggy. She looked outside and she noticed that the sun had risen a long time ago.

Getting up, the solid script mage looked around, trying to find the iron dragonslayer. She was pretty sure that she had slept by his side, she felt her cheeks warm up at this thought, but he was nowhere in sight. She visited the kitchen but she didn't find him there and he wasn't in the master bedroom neither. The blue-haired woman walked the whole first floor and it was at the most unexpected place that she found him: in front of the stairs.

Gazille was throwing fainted gremlins at the top of the stairs with obvious amusement, laughing when one would hit a wall or push a yell. Levy looked at him with wide eyes:

" What are you doing?"

He turned around, he hadn't noticed her coming or didn't give a damn, and gave her his trademark grin and a salute:

" Morning, Shorty. Slept well?"

Another gremlin flew to the second floor as she asked him again what he was doing. He pointed at behind them:

" Cleaning up, the old hag is already walking the path."

She was about to scold him for the mean nickname toward their client when something clicked in her brain and she understood the meaning of his words. Running back to the living room, she saw that he was right, by the window, she could see the old lady walking to the door, in her usual slow pace. She estimated that they still had five or ten minutes to clean up their mess so she quickly ran back at her partner's side to help him erase any traces of what could have happened.

The first floor was gremlin-free when the front door opened and five minutes later, the client was welcomed into her living room by the two mages. The old woman was as cheerful as ever, her huge eyes blinking from behind her glasses, as she asked in her slow speech:

" Tell me, sweethearts, did you spend a good night?"

Gazille and Levy exchanged a look before smiling at their client, Gazille's mouth twitching upward for a second:

" Yes," the blue-haired youth answered. "It was... uhm..."

" Thrilling." finished her partner in a blank voice.

He absentmindedly scratched the spot on his cheek where there were still bite marks, she laughed nervously at the memories of her near-death experience. The old woman was obvious to their mental struggles:

" I am so relieved that everything went well. You see, I was so preoccupied by my trip that I totally forgot to warn you about the second floor. It is quite dangerous to go there."

The mages eyes twitched at the same time while the old lady spent the next ten minutes taking money out of her purse. Levy was fighting to keep her smile as she thought that all this could have been avoided if they had been warned. Her inner voice mocked her, precising that she could have avoided this nightmarish night just by accepting to sleep in the old woman's bed, or heck, even on the couch where they _did_ end up sleeping.

_And beside_, the voice added, _you wouldn't have snuggled against his chest if it hadn't happen_.

Fighting her blush (was that all she did, lately, blushing?), she stood with slightly forced enthusiasm and bowed to the old lady when they finally received their money. They didn't complain about the fact that she had given them the 100 000 jewels in spare changes or that it weighted a ton, even split in two bags, they just wanted to get out of that freaking house as soon as possible.

" You two are so lovely. I think that next time I'll go on a trip, I will ask that they send _you_ to my help."

The two mages shivered at the proposition, their faces whitened in a second. They mumbled some kind of response sounding like _Yeah, we'll see_ as they made their exit without looking back. They ran all the way to the train station, promising themselves that they would NEVER step back inside that mansion EVER AGAIN.

* * *

Days after, Levy had made some changes in her usual routine. She had slept with the _Light _word beside her bed for almost a week, had bought a pink shower curtain and stopped reading her horror novels. She still liked them but she was feeling like reading more positives books for a little while. At least, until she stopped hearing non-existent skittering noises in the walls.

She was also having other problems since that job. She was even more attracted to the piercing-faced man than before and her nights were often punctuated by the memories of his arms around her, as for her days, she had to hide her red face behind her book every time he came in the guild hall.

And the iron dragonslayer was stuck in a similar pattern that the blue-haired woman's. He had been right when he had thought he wouldn't be able to sleep for days after the shower incident. He was also having a hard time keeping a straight face when he saw her at the guild hall and Barmaid's knowing smile didn't help at all.

Per chance, they got a couple of months to get over it before another turn of fate brought them together. Levy was chosen to be part of the S-class exam and even if the opportunity to kick Salamander's ass was an influential factor in his decision, a little part of the iron dragonslayer admitted that he would have been damned if he had let anyone else be her partner.

* * *

**End notes: **hope you guys enjoyed it :D


	6. BONUS

**Bonus Chapter!**

i do not own.

* * *

**Lover Escapade**

" EH? You sent them at auntie Grenta's house?"

Mirajane giggled happily at her little sister's outburst, not minding the stares they were receiving from the other customers. The two of them were shopping for clothes in a little _boutique_ and the white-haired beauty had just told Lisanna about what she had done, earlier that day.

" Auntie gladly accepted."

The shape-shifter was unable to answer for a moment, clearly not agreeing with her sister's methods. When Mirajane played matchmaking, she could go to great length to get her way...

" It was such a daring thing to do, Mira-nee." Lisanna said while slowly shaking the head. " Imagine, if they learned about the fake job request, what they could do? Especially Gazille."

The elder woman shrugged her shoulders casually, obviously not scared by that eventuality.

" It's fine. Beside, it's for their own good. If they want to fall in love with each other, they must spend more time alone together."

Lisanna didn't bother mentioning that it was her sister that was the most excited about sending the iron dragonslayer and the solid script mage in a _lover escapade_. She gave her attention back at the dress she was holding, wondering if she would look cute in it.

" Does auntie still have her... _furry problem_?"

Mirajane was looking for tops in a rack:

" Oh, yes. It's the reason i sent them there, in the first place."

" Won't they be in danger? Those creeps are nasty."

The elder's smile grew wider as she found a lovely skirt:

" With him around, I'm sure they will be alright. And there's nothing better than a near-death experience to create bonding between two people."

Lisanna raised an eyebrow at that but she wasn't well placed to argue on this subject against her sister, she hadn't that many love experience beside Natsu, if it could count as experience. She left the fitting room and spun around to show the dress she was wearing to Mirajane who gave her a thumb up:

" Lovely."

The younger sister went back to change and spoke through the closed curtain:

" And if nothing happen when they come back?"

After a moment, Mirajane's voice got unmistakably darker when she answered:

" I'll get them drunk and shove them naked in a closet."

Lisanna gulped, she hoped that her dear sister would never try to match her with anyone anytime soon.

* * *

**Boot camp**

A loud complain echoed in the forest that surprised some birds and made them fly away in the grayish sky. To anyone passing by, it would have sounded like a dying dog however, to the black exceed standing on a huge rock, it was the hundredth cry coming from the blue cat he was supposed to be training. So far, beside the concerto of _Are we done yet?, I'm hungry!_ and _Not again!, _nothing much came out of this training day. Pantherlily had seemingly the patience of a monk because he hadn't tried to choke his apprentice yet.

Lying face first on the ground and panting like an asthmatic, Happy was crying _again_ that it was just too hard.

" You are the one that asked me to train you." said Pantherlily with crossed arms over his furry chest. He was obviously not impressed by his friend's whining.

Happy lifted his head:

" But, all I've been doing since this morning is running laps, chopping wood and pulling this rock," he pointed at the big rock linked to his waist by a rope. "I wanted to be trained for combat."

Pantherlily jumped from his leader seat and walked to his apprentice's side.

" Physical resistance is the basic for combat training. And you will not become strong by eating fish all day."

Happy's stomach was the one to answer. Pantherlily sighed, this exceed was unbelievable, he knew yelling at him wouldn't result in anything so he went with the positive reinforcement:

" Keep in mind who you are doing this for, that should help you focus."

The blue cat lifted his upper body from the ground, nodding to himself. He was doing this for Natsu. He wanted to be more reliable, he wanted his friend to be able to count on him. Pantherlily was so awesome in so many points, he wished he could be that amazing for his dragonslayer. And also, being stronger could help win points with Charle.

Standing up completely, Happy dusted his blue fur and stretched his arms left and right, a new confidence in his eyes:

" Alright, I'm ready, Sensei!"

The black cat snorted. He jumped on the rock and held a long stick over the blue cat's head, at the tip of the stick, a fish was hanging by a little rope. Happy's face glowed in happiness and he immediately started pulling the rock, waving his paws to reach the delicious looking fish that was just a inch away.

Pantherlily grinned proudly, that guy just needed a little motivation.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**


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